[1][2] Athens is south of unincorporated Westmont, east of Hawthorne, north of Gardena, and west of the Broadway-Manchester neighborhood of the city of Los Angeles.

Twenty-eight percent of the residents were foreign born, average for both South Los Angeles and for the county as a whole.

[2] The median income was $48,824 in 2008 dollars, which was considered high for the South Los Angeles region.

One-eighth of residents aged 25 or older had a college degree, which was "high for South L.A. but low for the county," the Times reported.

There were 520 families headed by single parents, low for South L.A. but high for the county.